On 11 October 2016, the Senate established the Select Committee on Red Tape (committee) to inquire into and report on the effect of restrictions and prohibitions on business (red tape) on the economy and community, by 1 December 2017, with particular reference to:

• a. the effects on compliance costs (in hours and money), economic output, employment and government revenue, with particular attention to industries, such as mining, manufacturing, tourism and agriculture, and small business;
• b. any specific areas of red tape that are particularly burdensome, complex, redundant or duplicated across jurisdictions;
• c. the impact on health, safety and economic opportunity, particularly for the low-skilled and disadvantaged;
• d. the effectiveness of the Abbott, Turnbull and previous governments' efforts to reduce red tape;
• e. the adequacy of current institutional structures (such as Regulation Impact Statements, the Office of Best Practice Regulation and red tape repeal days) for achieving genuine and permanent reductions to red tape;
• f. alternative institutional arrangements to reduce red tape, including providing subsidies or tax concessions to businesses to achieve outcomes currently achieved through regulation;
• g. how different jurisdictions in Australia and internationally have attempted to reduce red tape; and
• h. any related matters.

This interim report presents the committee's findings and conclusions about the effect of red tape on occupational licensing (licensing inquiry).